


The Resident of House Lorelei

by Drybonesour, Fernatticus



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Background Yasha (Critical Role), Benicio is also a himbo, Eventual Porn, Fjord-centric (Critical Role), M/M, Travis I mean Fjord loves werewolves, Werewolves, but to a more extreme degree, fjord has 11 STR, himbo fjord
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:13:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25853413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drybonesour/pseuds/Drybonesour, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fernatticus/pseuds/Fernatticus
Summary: During a full moon, Fjord has an encounter with a werewolf
Relationships: Fjord/Benicio Lorelei
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	1. Meet Cute(?)

About a week prior, the Mighty Nein had taken a job under a group called the Darrington Brigade who had commissioned them to retrieve an artifact that had been lost in one of their escapades. Hypothetically, it wasn’t a particularly dangerous mission, simply traversing the woods in between Kahmordah and Deastock. In reality, the woods were infested with all sorts of nightmarish creatures, ranging from the occasional Dire Wolf, to a loan band of goblins who had unsuccessfully mugged them.

Fjord offered to take the third watch, trading off with Caleb and Nott. Yasha had agreed to take watch with him, and Fjord was intensely grateful. As much as he loved Jester, after a day like this, he couldn’t mentally handle that sort of energy.

So there he found himself, passing the falchion from hand to hand, keeping his eye on the thick treeline surrounding the small clearing they had set the bubble up in. The bright full moon illuminated where he and Yasha sat in comfortable silence, the only break from the quiet pervading the night air being the occasional sound of an owl’s hoot or any other sort of (hopefully) harmless woodland critters. The ambience was somewhat unnerving, but at the same time, it was no worse than any other of the nightmarish places the Nein had ventured before in their travels. 

Fjord’s thoughts were cut off by the sound of distant scratching. Simultaneously, the two on watch heads’ snapped in the direction of the noise.

“What was that?” Fjord wondered aloud, his voice quiet as not to alert any nearby threats. Yasha shrugged in response.

“Not sure,” She responded, her eyes squinting in the direction of the noise. A moment later, the noise sounded once more, this time the scratching more fervent. Fjord’s grip on the hilt of the falchion tightened.

“Wait here. I’m gonna go check it out. Get ready to wake up the others,” Fjord told Yasha, stepping to his feet quietly. Yasha nodded in response, brandishing her sword and assuming a defensive stance.

Trepidatiously, Fjord crept towards the sound of the noise until he was past the line where the camp met the forest. Ducking underneath a hanging branch, he carefully traversed the woods, his eyes quickly adjusting to the lack of light as his dark vision kicked in. 

Behind him, the comforting light of camp disappeared as he ventured further in, the trees blocking his view of the bubble. A small knot formed in his chest, but he dismissed it, focusing on the task at hand. 

Fjord didn’t have a precise internal clock like Caleb, but he could tell dawn was soon approaching. While light hadn’t begun to peek over the horizon, he knew it could only be a matter of time.

It was possible he had been focusing a bit too much on the horizon, because the next thing he knew, a white hot pain was raking down his back.

The warlock fell with an ungraceful ‘unf,’ his arms instinctually pushing out to protect his head from hitting the ground. However, in the process of that, the falchion was flung from his grasp, his notoriously terrible wrist strength failing him. 

The moment he hit the ground, his combat instincts kicked in and he rolled onto his back, the beast lunging towards his face, it’s toothy maw snapping only inches away from his nose. 

If this had been Yasha or Jester, they probably would have been able to push the beast off of themselves. However, this being Fjord, all he could do was struggle to hold it off, using his arms as a shield. It continued clawing and snapping at him, letting out barks and growls. 

The beast, now that he got a better look, resembled some sort of wolf. It had luminous yellow eyes and terrifying, sharp fangs, the likes of which even more deadly than Nott’s. The wolf bore a few intimidating scars raked across its face, and a shock of white hair covered one ear.

Using as much strength as he could muster, he shoved the wolf off himself and rolled away, the wolf pouncing on the place he had been prone only a moment ago. 

Adrenaline coursing through his veins, Fjord grabbed the falchion and hopped to his feet, shakily assuming a fighting pose. He was acutely aware of the deep wound in his back and the warm blood flowing down in rivulets, and was aware he needed a heal stat.

Before he could catch a breath, the wolf lunged once more. This time, Fjord was prepared and lashed out, slashing the wolf across the snout. It let out a whine, hitting the ground and backing away a bit, letting out pained noises. 

Fjord looked on with surprise, not expecting that reaction. In his moment of weakness and confusion, he lowered the falchion slightly, noticing a glimmer of light peeking out from over the horizon. Instantly, the wolf took the opportunity to attack, swiping a sharpened claw at the off guard half orc.

Clutching his chest as blood poured freely, Fjord fell to his knees. He beheld the wolf as the remarkably dangerous and powerful being it was, his vision gradually blurring. The world seemed to spin for a moment before he collapsed forward, the last thing he saw being the crown of the sun illuminating the forest in a sweet, dawning daylight. 

He lay there for a moment, fully expecting to feel teeth tearing into him. In fact, there was a noticeable lack of violence against his fully still body. Even in his delirious, bleeding out state of mind, he could hear a low voice speak.

“Oh shit.”

Then Fjord passed out.


	2. A Date Over Roots and Medicine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fjord meets the man who attacked him the night before and is surprised at how apologetic and hot he is

It could have been hours or days before Fjord awoke, but to his surprise, he did wake up. When his eyes flickered open, he fully expected the sight he had awoken to a million times before; Jester or Caduceus leaned over him, a worried expression and the remnants of a healing spell smoke on their lips. 

He did not expect to see a human man. The human man didn’t expect to see him awaken either, as he instantly jumped back.

“Oh shit, you’re alive! I mean- you’re awake. I totally knew you were alive. I’m super good at healing and all that nerd shit Luci’s into,” The man said, his voice deep and gruff. “Uh… you good man?”

Fjord blinked up, his vision crystallizing. The first thing he noticed was the killer headache splitting through the middle of his forehead. 

He groaned and sat up a bit, before he remembered his chest injury and slumped back into a horizontal position. 

He hadn’t even noticed the human approach, but he felt a large warm hand on his shoulder. Slowly, the man helped him sit up, propping a pillow behind him.

Now, Fjord could get a better look at the man. He was handsome, tan skin and a streak of white through the front of his dark, cropped hair. His face had two scars, one through his eyebrow and the other on his cheek. He wore a tucked in tank top that showed the surplus of burn marks that covered his muscular arms. The human man looked at him expectantly.

“Uh… are you mute or something? ‘Cause I don’t know sign language,” He said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head and looking around the room. Fjord snapped into reality, his eyes leaving the man's arms and snapping back to his dark eyes.

“N-no. Sorry… just confused…” Fjord trailed off, looking around the room.

The room was dimly lit, the main light coming from the window which, when Fjord craned his neck to get a better view, showed him a picturesque yard, adorned with well carved statues and a non functional fountain in the center. Past the yard, he could see the forest, the grove filled with familiar coniferous trees. 

The room itself was filled with expensive looking, gothic furniture. Unused wall sconces were hung on the walls. An ivory desk sat opposite of the silk covered bed Fjord was propped up on. A chair rested in the corner, underneath it lay a large rug with intricately woven patterns. It reminded him of the Lavish Chateau in how expensive the furniture was, even if the aesthetic was a bit gloomier. 

“Uh, yeah, so, I should probably apologize for, you know… all that back there,” The human mentioned, grimacing and waving slightly.

“Apologize?” Fjord asked, returning his attention to the handsome man. “Was that your wolf or something?”

“Something like that,” He said, seemingly considering something. He groaned and took a deep breath. “Look! You caught me on a bad night! Usually people aren’t just wandering around the woods.”

In the moment of the man turning from apologetic and awkward to accusatory and defensive, the realization hit Fjord. The scars, the streak of white, the apology.

“You’re the wolf?!” Fjord half declared, half accused, pressing further into the backboard of the bed. 

“Uhh… maybe?” The man responded, noticing Fjord’s fear and backing off slightly.

“You attacked me!” Fjord sputtered incredulously. “Why?” 

“It’s not my fuckin’ fault!” The man retorted, crossing his arms and matching Fjord’s energy level, treating the exchange like a competition. “My fuckin’ asshole twin bailed last minute! Do you know how hard it is to chain yourself to a tree? Real fuckin’ hard!”

Fjord had heard of werewolves before. Their existence had been a common story the older kids told the younger kids at the orphanage to frighten them, although he had never had confirmation of their existence until now. 

This guy really didn’t seem too bad, if a bit aggressive. After all, he had brought Fjord to here, wherever ‘here’ was. Unless he had actually kidnapped Fjord, although with the lack of restraints and the opened bedroom door, he honestly doubted that. Fjord’s posture relaxed a bit, and he took a moment to settle.

“So you attacked me and brought me here?” He asked, just looking for confirmation.

“First of all, I didn’t mean to attack you. And second of all, yeah,” He told him.

Fjord sighed and said, “Well thanks for not killing me.”

“Oh yeah, for sure. Any time,” The human responded genuinely. “So uh… what’s your deal? Why were you wandering around the woods at night? And what’s with your weird sword thing?”

“My name is Fjord, and I was travelling with a group. We have business out here. And it’s a falchion, not a sword. Why were you out there? And where are we?” Fjord asked, the questions  
coming out quickly, taking the human off guard. 

“Uh, I live here? This is sort of the estate where I grew up. I’ve been crashing here for a while,” The man sort of chuckled at that, his voice low and bassy, leaving a weird feeling in Fjord’s stomach. “My name is Benicio, by the way. Benicio Lorelei is my full name, but you can call me Benny.”

Benicio. Huh. Fjord swallowed. 

“How long was I out?” He asked, looking down at his chest. He hadn’t noticed, but his bloodied and tattered clothes had been switched out for thin, surprisingly elegant silks, that were a bit large for his admittedly slender form. 

Benicio sat on the side of the bed next to Fjord casually, Fjord’s heart fluttering in his chest at the proximity with the handsome werewolf. 

“Well I brought you back right away, and then you conked out for a few hours, so I dunno. Maybe nine hours? Ten?” Benicio remembered.

Anxiety spiked in Fjord, and his eyes widened. If he had been gone for that long, the Nein would be nervous. He needed to find them immediately. He was honestly a little surprised Jester hadn’t sent a message yet.

“I-I’m sorry, I have to go. My friends are looking for me. Thank you for helping me,” Fjord said, turning on the charm and pushing himself to his feet. Benicio moved backwards, his hands raised to stop Fjord.

“Hold on, you’re still-” Benicio warned, right before Fjord toppled over. Fjord braced for the fall, but instead of the feeling of the cold floor, he felt two large hands holding him, one under his armpit and the other on his back.

There was a moment of pause where Fjord looked up to see himself face to face with the werewolf, Benicio’s black eyes gazing into his, the man’s face only inches away and his hands supporting Fjord’s weight. An emerald blush painted his cheeks as Benicio lifted him up as if his weight was nothing. 

“Take it easy man. I’m not _that_ good of a healer,” Benicio scolded softly, a hint of concern lining his tone of voice. The large man helped set Fjord back on the bed, Fjord’s face flushed. 

“Thanks,” Fjord said, his voice near a whisper, almost being drowned out by the sound of his heart beating in his chest. 

“No problem,” Benicio dismissed. “You’re still kinda fucked up, so maybe we wait until you’re able to, you know, walk before we go looking for your friends, yeah?” 

“You’ll help me find them?” Fjord asked, resettling into the bed. 

“If they don't find us first, yeah. It’s not like I have anything better going on. This place is boring as shit,” He tacked on that last part as if he had to justify helping Fjord for a reason other than kindness. 

“That’d be mighty kind of you,” Fjord responded, somewhat excited at the prospect of spending more time with the werewolf. There was a pleasant silence before Fjord remembered his headache, and cringed into his hand. 

“You good? Headache?” Benicio asked, looking under Fjord’s hands. Fjord nodded in response, his face scrunched in pain. “I might have something for that. I don’t really get this nature crap, but my sister has this book about herbs and stuff. I used it on your back and chest, so there might be something for your head.”

Benicio flipped through the leather bound book for a minute, his eyes skimming the tops of the pages before landing on one that looked satisfactory. 

“Huh… ‘Lewisia Rediviva,’” Benicio looked up to Fjord before hopping to his feet. “Wait here. I’m gonna go raid my sister's room. If I don’t come back in ten minutes, it’s because she trapped her room with, like, a hungry bear or something and it ate me.”

Benicio left the room, leaving the book open on the side table. There were actually a few things on the surface he hadn’t noticed before, including a couple of unfamiliar ointments that Caduceus could probably label, were he here.

Left alone he had a moment to reflect on his situation. He really shouldn’t be so trusting of this guy, but Melora if he weren’t earnest and _hot_. His voice was deep and sexy, making his stomach twist in a very pleasant way. Fjord could be a bit prudish and lacking in haste when it came to developing romantic or sexual attraction, but this guy left a feeling in his chest that could only be described as attraction. Not to mention, there was something about the way Benicio’s eyes lingered on Fjord’s chest that made him suspect it was a mutual feeling, although the human wasn’t particularly expressionable. He also had a feeling he was wearing this guy's clothes, and boy if that didn’t awake something in him, he didn’t know what would.

His thoughts were cut off by Benicio reentering the room, holding a cylindrical, textured root that resembled a stick of cinnamon. He handed it to Fjord, who took it, turning it over and expecting it, applying his limited knowledge about medicinal herbs to what he held.

“I think you’re supposed to bite into it. Book says it’s good for headaches,” Benicio explained. In all other circumstances, Fjord would not bite into the herb, but this guy was super hot and he had gone to all this effort to keep Fjord alive, so he obliged, biting into the base. It was incredibly bitter, and Fjord must have maken a face, because Benicio chuckled a bit, that low, rumbling laugh that made Fjord’s stomach churn in all the best ways. 

“Yeah, sorry. But at least your head will feel better, maybe,” Benicio suggested, retrieving the root from Fjord and chucking it into the trash across the room. When he made the shot first try, he pumped his arm in a silent victory. 

Even if he was uncertain, he was confident. It was a quality Fjord respected in others, and one he wished he possessed. There was an awkward silence, the two men looking at one another. Fjord felt another tightening in his chest, but before he could do something irrational, he spoke, more for the sake of filling silence.

“So you said this is your childhood home? Is there anyone else here?” He asked, glancing out the door and back to Benicio who bit the inside of his lip.

“Nah, just me. A bunch of bad shit happened here a while back, so nobody was really keen to come back. I just came here a few days to get ready for the full moon. I was gonna leave today, but… y’know,” Benicio gestured vaguely up and down at Fjord. “My twin brother was supposed to meet up with me, but I guess that pretentious dick had better things to do.”

“Is it lonely out here?” Fjord asked. 

“I guess, kinda? Most places aren’t super friendly to my kind anyway. I’m used to being an outsider,” Benicio explained, sitting back down on the side of the bed, propping his weight up with his toned, burn marked arm. 

His words were uncannily familiar, a sentiment being echoed that Fjord himself had expressed a hundred times before. He was no stranger to being an outsider or being seen as monstrous. There were many people who saw a half orc and assumed the worst. It was one of the reasons that he leaned so heavily on his charm.

“I get that,” Fjord responded, softness and genuinity creeping into his voice. “People don’t think the best of half orcs either.”

Benicio looked a bit surprised by this, and Fjord got the impression that this guy didn’t know much about half orcs. 

Benicio rested a hand on Fjord’s shoulder and said, “Fuck people.” 

Fjord gulped, staring into the man’s eyes. Benicio was strong and confident, but beyond that he was earnest. His scars showed a depth of character Fjord couldn’t have expected. 

A faint blush crept onto Benicio’s cheeks, but the moment he caught it, he hopped off the bed with a renewed passion.

“Uh, you’re probably hungry, right? I’ll, uh, get you some food. Do you have any allergies? Great, okay I’ll be right back,” Benicio said, all of this said in one breath, while backing away, not waiting for a response. Fjord looked on incredulously as Benicio backed out of the room, shoulders tense, before he spun around and retreated, just as stiff as before. 

The sound of padding footsteps down a staircase slowly dissipated, until once more Fjord was left along once more, his heart pounding in his chest and his cheeks greener than usual. 

This was certainly quite the predicament he had gotten himself into.


End file.
